1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to an improved replaceable tooth mount rotor system for material fragmenting machines.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fragmenting machines or waste recycling machines are designed to splinter and fragment wastes under tremendous impacting forces. Waste is defined herein to comprise any material that requires fragmentation prior to utilization, including, inter alia, wood, biofuel and the like. Operationally, waste materials are fed to a fragmenting zone or grinding chamber by power feeding means. Once the waste materials are within the fragmenting zone or grinding chamber, a powered fragmenting rotor that is rotating at high speed and comprising impacting and shearing teeth is encountered. The resulting impact results in the fragmentation and/or comminution of the waste materials to a desired particle size. Generally, one embodiment of a comminuting or fragmenting machine of the present invention may comprise a rotor rotating at about 1800-2500 r.p.m. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that other r.p.m. ranges are common, e.g., between about 500 and 2500 r.p.m. The invention described herein is not meant to be limited by r.p.m. ranges and, as a result, applies to any comminuting or fragmenting machine using a powered fragmenting rotor with teeth designed to comminute material to a desired particle size. In all cases, a tremendous force is generated at the point of impact between the waste material and the impacting rotor teeth.
Wear on the rotor teeth is a concern that results in, inter alia, reductions in fragmenting efficiency and increases in costs related to maintenance and service to replace worn rotor teeth and tooth mounts. Known waste fragmenting machines may require heavy solid steel shafts and/or lock collars to hold tooth mounts and mounted teeth in position on the rotor. Such waste fragmenting machines require disassembly to replace the worn tooth mounts which is particularly labor intensive and costly. Others fail to minimize the stress experienced by the bolts used to hold the tooth mounts in place.
Tooth mounts in such systems may become chipped, warped, or gouged, resulting in rotor imbalance and/or inability to properly secure teeth. Further, tooth mounts may break as a result of an impact.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved mechanism for securing rotor teeth that allows for rapid and easy replacement of worn rotor teeth and tooth mounts, as well as a mechanism to minimize stresses experienced by the attachment of the mount to the rotor during fragmentation.
The present invention addresses these needs.